Stockton Universities Art Gallery is showcasing two new exhibits this year that will run until Nov. 13. The lower gallery exhibit, “Preaching to the Birds: Contemporary Painting from Georgia, Romania, and the Eastern-European Diaspora” brings the past to life in vivid artwork in a variety of mediums. This exhibit offers a step back into the folk, culture, and mythical aesthetics of artists such as Sergo Tbileli, Mamuka Mikeladze, Georgeta Naparus, Corneliu Petrescu, and others.

Stockton professors Jacob Feige and Mariana Smith have curated a bright selection of artwork that projects the artistic liberations of Eastern-European countries once censored from expressing religion in abstract art forms. In each piece of art, the viewer is intended to recognize the freedom of expression and uniqueness of each artist. Gallery coordinators hope that spectators will want to see the exhibit in its entirety.

The upper gallery exhibit “Do You Hear Me?” offers a steep contrast to the lower gallery as it offers more contemporary artwork that is modern and fresh. This exhibit features the work of Jaime Alvarez, Natalie Lerner, and Japeth Mennes, who explore themes of isolation and solitude in cities. A theme that can resonate with all spectators from the last few years of experiencing COVID lockdown, the images portrayed in this gallery really bring viewers back to 2020 to the barren streets and closed-down stores. Mennes’s bold, hard-edge paintings can be seen throughout the upper gallery demonstrating objects of social connections from security cameras to window shades.

Students can visit the art gallery from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, visit stockton.edu/artgallery or contact Ryann Casey, exhibition coordinator, at 609-652-4566 or Ryann.Casey@stockton.edu.